Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Calm Before the Storm - By Matt Ward - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/10/14/the-calm-before-the-storm/
North Korea is being manipulated masterfully by Iran. Odd bedfellows though they are, Iran and North Korea are well established allies, and current events in East Asia cannot be separated from events occurring in Syria and the Middle East at the same time. It is an open secret that Iran and North Korea have more than merely a diplomatically cordial relationship. They actively share common strategic goals, and these shared goals have brought them increasingly close together. As recently as last month, a delegation from Pyongyang, led by parliamentary speaker Kim Yong Nam, who ranks as the second most important person in the North Korean hierarchical system, spent ten days in Tehran as guests of the government. While there, the North Koreans met with the heads of the Iranian army and intelligence agencies, as well as Iranian leaders in industry. The discussions across the board, from military to industrial talks, were identical as to how they could deepen mutual cooperation across all spheres to enable both parties to meet their wider strategic goals. On the surface, the relationship they share seems to be an odd one; Iran is a Shiite theocracy who views themselves as the only true defenders of Islam, while North Korea is a virulently atheistic regime. Neither Iran nor North Korea share commonalities ethnically; neither do they share any borders. What they do share, most importantly, is commonality in their geopolitical objectives. In allying itself with North Korea, even though they are so diametrically opposed in all other spheres, Iran has been able to continue to develop its own regional hegemonic and nuclear ambitions. Iran is using North Korea because the relationship allows them to progress more rapidly towards fulfilling their own nuclear ambitions, and because it furthers their own dominance in the Middle East, especially in Syria. Being in a relationship with North Korea has allowed them to manipulate events in East Asia, so as to take the pressure off themselves at home. What makes this alliance particularly robust and functional is that both Iran and North Korea are also bonded by a mutual loathing for America and Americanism. Hating America actively binds them both together. In real terms Iranian - North Korean cooperation focuses primarily in two areas: nuclear weapons development and ballistic missile technology. This cooperation is longstanding. Michael Green, former senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, relates that during nuclear talks held with the United States as long ago as March 2003, the head of the North Korean delegation confirmed that Pyongyang had a "nuclear deterrent" and threatened to "expand," "demonstrate," and "transfer" the deterrent unless the United States ended its hostile policy [1]. Many at the time believed this reference of "transferring" this "nuclear deterrent" was in reference to Iran. Iran seeks North Korean cooperation in the development of its nuclear weapons program, and North Korea seeks Iranian help in developing its Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems. North Korea has the bomb, and Iran has the reliable means to deliver it; so they are helping each other by swapping their "know how [2]. This is where the Presidency of Barack Obama will come back to haunt this world, sooner rather than later. Obama, towards the end of his second term, released significant funds to the Iranian regime, and loosened what had previously been a tight system of sanctions against Iran, hailing it at the time as a mark of the success of the Iranian Nuclear Accord. It was a fallacy. Suddenly Iran, flush with cash, used the money to buy considerable amounts of weaponry from North Korea, thereby providing Pyongyang with the financial resources it so desperately needed to ignore the international sanctions that were being arrayed against it. More importantly, loosening sanctions and releasing funds to Iran indirectly allowed North Korea to continue funding its own nuclear weapons program, a program now reaching fulfillment in our own day [3,4]. Relaxing sanctions has also meant that it is exceptionally difficult for the United Nations, or other leading international agencies like the IAEA, to detect the subtle cooperation and financial transactions that have been taking place between Iran and North Korea, all which might indicate breaches of international accords or giveaway tell-tale signals indicating their own nuclear threshold status. All thanks to Barack Obama. Iran has not been standing idly by while the world has been captivated by North Korea. Last week, on September 22nd, Iran released a film in which it claimed to have test-fired a new, highly advanced ballistic missile system. This new weapon, the Khoramshahr, is estimated to have a range that exceeds 2,000km, finally putting all of Israel well within range. The Khoramshahr can, according to the Iranian release, carry multiple warheads, and is also - unlike other crude variations - exceptionally accurate, because it has advanced live-video guidance systems contained within its nose cone. This means that the missile could be manually guided onto a target remotely. The Khoramshahr, if the release is true, would constitute an entirely different level of threat to Israel than any that has come before. Yet despite this obvious breach of the Iranian Nuclear Agreement, sidetracked by the burgeoning crisis occurring in East Asia, it has barely even been covered by the main news media in the West. Indeed, the US military has even asserted that this launch did not take place and has immediately dropped the matter, dismissing it out of hand. But this is not the view the Israeli intelligence services and the Israeli military take; they could not disagree more with the US assessment. They believe the test was a legitimate one, and that a threshold is about to be crossed by Iran, a threshold that may force them to soon take action. Israel is fast approaching the point where strong speeches voicing condemnation against Iranian encroachments into Syria, or about their weapons programs, are not enough. The danger to Israel is becoming too great. Very soon Iran is going to reach the point, as will North Korea, where they actually will have a reliable and deliverable nuclear weapons system. When that point is reached, Iran will become the biggest existential threat to the continued existence of Israel as a nation state since its founding in 1948. At this point the only silver lining is Donald Trump. Unlike Obama's misguided, and some might say negligent approach to the Iranian threat, the indications are that President Trump is about to embark upon a different approach. There is increasing speculation, fueled by the President himself, that he is about to take some form of definitive action; either by challenging the North Korean nuclear program directly or in decertifying the Iranian nuclear deal. The world is bracing itself for what is about to come; and much of what may shortly follow is entirely unpredictable. But about one thing we can be certain: If Trump does end the Iranian Nuclear Accord or takes any direct form of action against North Korea, this really could be the calm before the storm. A real Pandora's box may be about to be opened. Sources: [1] http://www.heritage.org/asia/commentary/while-north-korea-and-iran-collaborate-china-covers [2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/09/exclusive-north-korea-secretly-helped-iran-gain-nuclear-weapons/ [3] http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/844704/North-Korea-news-United-States-sanctions-sell-weapons-Syria-Iran-Donald-Trump-World-War-3 [4] http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/14/politics/north-korea-iran-nuclear-weapons-program/index.html [email protected] Netanyahu, Putin talk Syria tensions as Iran threatens from Damascus - https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-discusses-syria-conflict-with-putin-amid-rising-border-tensions/ Liberman says Israel can deal with challenge of Iran in Syria; sirens on IDF bases in Golan set off by fighting across border Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Syrian conflict in a phone call Wednesday afternoon, two days after Israeli jets bombed an anti-aircraft battery near Damascus which had fired on an Israeli plane, the Kremlin said. The two leaders also discussed the Iran nuclear deal and Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Moscow. "There was a thorough discussion of ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, the situation surrounding Iran's nuclear program and the results of the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan," a statement from the Kremlin read. The report said the phone call was initiated by Israel. There was no immediate comment from the Prime Minister's Office. Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's strongest backers and Jerusalem has butted heads with Moscow over fears that Iran will use chaos in Syria to gain a foothold on Israel's doorstep. On Wednesday afternoon rocket sirens rang out in IDF bases in the Golan Heights near Israel's border with Syria. While the alarms were set off by internal fighting across the border, they underlined sky-high tensions in the area. Speaking shortly after the sirens, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Israel had "all the tools needed to deal" with the challenge of Iran in Syria. "The Iranians are trying to take control of Syria to become the dominant power there," he said. Earlier Wednesday, Iran's army chief threatened Israel while on a visit to Damascus, saying Tehran regards Israel's violations of Syrian sovereignty as unacceptable. Liberman, who met this week with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu in Tel Aviv, said the threat underlined Israel's oft-repeated warning that Iran was seeking to establish a permanent present there, and to target Israel, and said Israel would not allow this to happen. Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015 in support of the regime of Syria's President Bashar Assad, carrying out bombing runs against rebel groups fighting against Damascus. Assad is also backed by Iran, which has provided the embattled Syrian leader with money, men and materiel. On Monday, Israeli jets bombed a Russian-made anti-aircraft battery near Damascus after a plane flying a reconnaissance mission in Lebanon was shot at, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Russia was kept informed of the Israeli action in real time, the IDF said. Also Wednesday, Iran's military chief of staff warned that Tehran would not tolerate violations of Syrian sovereignty by Israel and vowed that the two countries would jointly fight against Syria's enemies. "It is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria any time it wants," General Mohammad Bagheri said during a rare visit to Damascus that began Tuesday evening. In August Netanyahu held a three-hour meeting with the Russian leader in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, telling him that Israel was willing to act to prevent a continued Iranian military presence in Syria. Following that meeting Netanyahu said "Most of the discussion dealt with Iran's attempt to establish a foothold in Syria in the places where ISIS was defeated and is leaving." According to the PMO at that time, the prime minister speaks with Putin on a regular basis. "It must be noted that in the last two years Prime Minister Netanyahu has met with President Putin every few months to discuss bilateral and regional issues with the intention of preventing any clashes between Israeli and Russian air forces in Syria, with success until now," the statement said. Russia agrees to keep Iran, Hezbollah forces away from Israeli border - By Anna Ahronheim - http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Russia-agrees-to-move-Iran-Hezbollah-forces-away-from-Israeli-border-507727 Moscow agrees to a new buffer zone along Israel's border with Syria in the wake of the harsh exchange between the Jewish state and Damascus. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Israel that Moscow has agreed to expand a buffer zone along the Israeli-Syrian border, where Iranian and Hezbollah forces will not be allowed to enter, Arab media reported Wednesday. The statement attributed to an Israeli diplomatic official by London-based Asharq Al-Awsat said that Russia had refused the Israeli request for a 40 kilometers (25 miles) buffer zone, but expressed willingness to extend a 10-15 kilometer off-limits zone. Russia, which views Iran as a key player in resolving the crisis in Syria, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the role that the Islamic Republic plays in the war-torn country. As the war in Syria seems to be winding down in Assad's favor due to Moscow's intervention, Israel fears that Iran will help Hezbollah produce accurate precision-guided missiles and aid Hezbollah and other Shi'ite militias to strengthen their foothold in the Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly criticized a US-Russian cease-fire deal in Syria, saying that it does not include any provisions to stop Iranian expansion in the area. Russia is reported to have rejected a request from Jerusalem for a 40-kilometer buffer zone between the Golan Heights and any Iranian-backed militias in Syria, only agreeing to make sure that no Shi'ite fighter would come closer than 5 kilometers from Israel. According to the report in Asharq al-Awsat, Shoigu told Israeli officials that the 40 km demand was unrealistic and that Iranian and Hezbollah troops have not approached the border since Russian troops entered Syria, saying that therefore the request was "exaggerated" and "superfluous." Israeli officials have repeatedly voiced concerns over the growing Iranian presence on its borders and the smuggling of sophisticated weaponry to Hezbollah from Tehran to Lebanon via Syria, stressing that both are red-lines for the Jewish State. Hours before Shoigu landed in Israel, Israeli fighter jets destroyed a Syrian anti-aircraft missile battery stationed some 50 kilometers east of Damascus which had fired on Israeli planes in Lebanese airspace earlier that morning. While Russia was updated about the incident in real time, according to the Israeli sources quoted by Asharq al-Awsat, the incident overshadowed the meeting and caused some tension between the officials. The report alleged that Shoigu considered it a "dangerous hostile operation that almost caused a severe crisis." Israel and Russia implemented a de-confliction mechanism system over Syria to prevent accidental clashes between the two militaries. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman who met privately with Shoigu at the IDF's Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv Monday evening stated that "we will not interfere in Syria's internal affairs but on the other hand we will not allow Iran and Hezbollah to turn Syria into a forward outpost against Israel and we will not allow the transfer of sophisticated weapons from Iran through Syria to Lebanon." Liberman will leave Wednesday night for a four-day visit to the United States to meet with his US counterpart James Mattis. During their previous meeting the two defense chiefs discussed issues such as the ongoing civil war in Syria and the threats posed by Iran and it is believed that Liberman will ask Mattis for the US to act against Iran's growing entrenchment in Syria. Rise of The Gog Of Magog Coalition - By Britt Gillette - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1689 More than 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel warned of a future time when a vast coalition of nations will attack Israel. The leader of this coalition is a man known as Gog, the ruler of Magog (Ezekiel 38:1). This is why the invading force is known as the Gog of Magog coalition. According to Ezekiel this alliance will send an overwhelming force to invade Israel in the last days. And while the whole world watches, God Himself will destroy the invaders (Ezekiel 38:18-23). So why should you care? You should care because today, for the first time in human history, we see this alliance forming. The Invading Nations Ezekiel identifies these nations as "Magog, Rosh, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah" (Ezekiel 38:1-6). I don't know about you, but I'm not aware of any nations today with those names. So who are they? While the names of these nations have changed over the years, we can still locate them on a map. Below is a list of each nation, followed by its modern day name: Rosh = Russia Magog = Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan Persia = Iran Cush = Sudan Put = Libya Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah = Turkey It's been centuries since Ezekiel first recorded these prophecies. Yet, this alliance has never existed. And it certainly hasn't invaded Israel. But today? Today, we see this alliance coming together. A Developing Alliance Until recently, the nations of Russia and Persia had never formed an alliance of any sort. Economic and military cooperation between Persia (Iran) and Rosh (Russia) had never taken place. But around 1989, this started to change. Today, Iran and Russia are strong allies. In 1995, the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy signed an agreement with Iran to finish the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Construction on the plant came to an immediate halt after the 1979 Islamic revolution. But today, thanks to Russia, work is once again in progress. The ongoing civil war in Syria is another area of cooperation between the two countries. Russia has a vested interest in retaining access to the Syrian naval base in Tartus and stopping the spread of ISIS. As a longtime ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iran also has military forces in Syria. Iran is also the primary sponsor of Hezbollah, a radical terrorist organization. Hezbollah has openly operated in Syria under Assad. So Russia and Iran share a common interest when it comes to keeping Assad in power. Because of their common interests, it's easy to see why this alliance will eventually attack Israel. Russian leader Vladimir Putin is determined to restore the former glory of the Soviet Union. But NATO blocks his expansion to the west, and China blocks his expansion to the east. However, Putin could move south and take all the oil wealth of the Middle East. Only one thing stops him - Israel. It's clear why Russia wants to eliminate Israel. What about the other nations? It's easy to see why they'll join an invasion force. Religious ideology alone is reason enough. Iran and the other Muslim nations in the Gog of Magog alliance are committed to the total destruction of Israel. At least, all except one. Of all the members of the Gog of Magog coalition, Turkey is the most interesting. Why? Because in 1949, Turkey became the first Muslim majority country to officially recognize Israel. Turkey and Israel have a long history of diplomatic, economic, and military cooperation. Turkey is also a member of NATO. And what is the purpose of NATO? Its stated purpose is to defend member nations against Russian aggression. So why would Turkey join a Russian alliance to invade Israel? For years, those who study bible prophecy have asked this same question. It just doesn't make sense. But that's changing. Events from the last few years and months provide some clues as to how it might happen. Turkish forces are involved in the ongoing conflict in Syria. Turkey supports forces fighting against the Russian and Iranian backed Syrian government. Yet, the Bible says these three nations will be the principal players in an invasion of Israel. What might bring them together? One possibility is the transformation of Turkey from a secular democracy to an Islamic theocracy. In July 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracked down on his political opponents following what he claimed was a coup attempt. Erdogan imprisoned thousands of citizens and consolidated his grip on power. Turkey, once hailed as the model of democracy in the Muslim world, is now a dictatorship. And Erdogan, a former member of a banned Islamist political party, has turned away from Turkey's traditional western allies and cultivated a much more friendly relationship with Russia. Erdogan's rise to power threatens to destroy Turkey's secular government and replace it with an Islamist state. In recent months, strained relations between Turkey and the United States have led to the mutual suspension of non-immigrant visas between the two countries. Turkish bodyguards beat up American protestors in Washington, DC, and a Turkish court convicted a Wall Street Journal reporter. Another reason for Turkey to join the alliance is a mutual hatred of the Kurds. The Kurdish people live primarily in areas of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. With regional powers focused on stopping ISIS, the Kurds may see an opportunity to declare their independence and establish an independent state. If they try, Turkey and Iran will unite to stop them. After all, such a state will come at the expense of Turkish and Iranian territory. Regardless of how or why Turkey joins the Gog of Magog alliance, Ezekiel is clear it will. This end times alliance will invade Israel. And the current Syrian conflict features Russian, Iranian, Turkish, and Israeli military forces. With the three largest members of the Gog of Magog alliance currently in Syria, the stage is set for a surprise attack on Israel from the north. When Will All This Happen? So when will this invasion take place? The Bible says it will come "in the latter days" (Ezekiel 38:8). The original Hebrew word in this verse is "acharith" which means "after-part, latter part, last, close, or end." In other words, this alliance will form in the last days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel uses this same word "acharith" eight verses later, when he says the invasion will come "in the last days" (Ezekiel 38:16). This is confirmed again when Ezekiel reveals the Russian leader's thoughts. Gog says to himself, "I will attack the once abandoned cities now populated with the Jews who returned from exile among the nations" (Ezekiel 38:12). This tells us Russia and its allies will attack the land when it's filled with the exiles who return from among the nations. Any idea who these exiles are? That's right. The target can only be modern day Israel. This means the invasion is coming in our day and time. Ezekiel stresses this fact again and again when He says the invasion will occur "after Israel's people have been gathered from among many nations" (Ezekiel 38:8) and "when I bring my people home from among the enemy nations" (Ezekiel 39:27). This return home from among many nations has happened only once in all of human history - modern day Israel. Conclusion The rise of the Gog of Magog alliance is a major sign of the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Remember, Ezekiel said this coalition will attack Israel "in the last days" (Ezekiel 38:16) "after they've been gathered from among many nations" (Ezekiel 38:8). The prophet Jeremiah spoke about this same regathering from among the nations. He said God would "gather the remnant of His flock from the nations where he had driven them and bring them back into the land" (Jeremiah 23:3-4). And then? And then God will "raise up a righteous descendant of King David, a king who will rule the land with wisdom" (Jeremiah 23:5-6). This righteous King is the long-awaited Messiah. Through the prophet Micah, God promised to "gather His exiles and form them into a strong nation." Then, He promised to "rule from Jerusalem as their king forever" (Micah 4:6-7). The modern day nation of Israel is the fulfillment of God's promise to regather His people back in the land of Israel. So it should come as no surprise to see Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the other nations Ezekiel noted gathered on Israel's northern border, engaged in war and preparing for war. According to the Bible, it's only a matter of time before they attack Israel (Ezekiel 38:8-9). And after that, it's only a matter of time before Jesus returns to establish His everlasting Kingdom (Revelation 22:20). Jesus is coming! Nearing Midnight: The Equifax Scandal and the Need for a New Identification System - Todd Strandberg - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ Last month, Equifax announced that it had suffered a cyber-security breach; where cybercriminals accessed approximately 145.5 million U.S. Equifax consumers' personal data. I didn't think much about the breach until a couple of weeks later, when my online bank had a huge banner warning that I was one of the Equifax consumers. If someone had asked me who is Equifax, my best guess would be that it is some antiquated company that makes Fax machines. It turns out that Equifax is one of the largest consumer credit-reporting agencies in the world. It tracks credit history on over 800 million individual consumers and more than 88 million businesses worldwide. Experian and TransUnion are the two other firms in the trinity of credit management, and they both have around 200 million consumers. The CEO of Equifax, Richard Smith, was called before two House and Senate Committees to explain why his firm had suffered such a huge data breach. While lawmakers were chewing out Smith, the IRS was in the process of awarding Equifax with a non-bid contract to help validate the identity of taxpayers communicating with the agency, on the telephone or through its website. Just as large banks are too big to fail, big credit is too big to assail. I read in the news reports that Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are required by law to give everyone a free credit report once a year. I was wondering if there was a Nigerian version of myself, who might be flying to the Swiss Alps for wild shopping sprees in the finest stores in Zürich and Bern. It turns out that I died around 2009. My current consumer statements all show zero activity. The last three credit cards issued to me expired without use. I don't connect well with the $65 trillion credit that people have built up. For me, going out on the town involves a trip to Texas Roadhouse; which has to be limited to once or twice a month because of my cholesterol. My biggest consumer purchase of the year was a $250 comforter from Macy's. There have been many credit breaches in recent years. In 2013, hackers got into the Target Corp's financial database and compromised at least 40 million cards. In 2014, Home Depot had a major breach affecting people who used payment cards on its self-checkout terminals. Just last week, the fast food giant, Sonic, said that credit and debit card numbers may have been acquired as part of a malware attack at some Sonic locations. The company did not disclose which locations or the specific time frame of the incident. I don't understand the complexities of how credit card information is stolen. I do know that the basic problem is because of two factors: speed and the modern ability to store vast amounts of information. In the early days of the internet, it would take those cybercriminals several years to transmit the records of 154 million consumers, and they would need a truckload of floppy disks to store all that data. Today, you can transfer the Social Security numbers of every American in a few minutes, and they would all fit on a single thumb drive. The Equifax scandal has Washington questioning the security of our ID system. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg news both reported that the Trump administration is exploring ways to replace the Social Security number with a safer system, based on modern technology. Rob Joyce, the White House's cybersecurity coordinator, said that one possibility is using cryptographic keys, or a combination of long random numbers, to unlock personal data. The merit of such numbers is that they could be revoked once they are found to be compromised, he explained. If you issued an ID code that is 50 places long, there is obviously no way for you to remember this sequence of characters. The shortfall of a cryptographic key is needing to track who is receiving your information in a transaction. To maintain security, a central system will need to track and issue a new cryptographic key every time a person creates a new transaction. The key can make the transmitting of data safe, but it needs to be placed in a safe location. The human body seems to be the only logical choice. The amazing prediction made 2,000 years ago is rapidly becoming a necessity. "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six" (Revelation 13:16-18). Trump Does Not Understand Israeli/Palestinian Conflict - By Geri Ungurean - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/10/16/trump-does-not-understand-israelipalestinian-conflict/ I write this article knowing that I may receive many derogatory responses. Nevertheless, this article must be written. I voted for Trump; or perhaps I should say I voted against Hillary Clinton. During the primaries, I was a supporter of Ted Cruz. No man is perfect - we are all sinners. I realize that many Christians were "Never-Trumpers" but I could not sit home on election day. I cast my vote for Trump and that was that. One of Trump's campaign promises was to move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. It would be a bold measure; telling the world that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. When Trump was elected, he tapped his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a primary player in negotiating a peace plan between Israel and the so-called Palestinians. The problem with Kushner is that he comes from a family, much like my own, with liberal Democrats. Most Jews are Democrats. Most Jews are liberals. I believe that Kushner has no idea about Israel's right to the land. He views this ongoing conflict from a secular standpoint - and so does President Trump. I woke up this morning and read this in the news: "Trumps says he wants to give peace a shot before he even thinks of moving the embassy." I am envisioning people locking arms, swaying back and forth and singing Kumbaya. Trump does not understand that the Palestinians do not want "peace." They long for the annihilation of Israel. Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly said that Israel does not have the right to exist. Does Kushner or Trump understand this? Or perhaps the question should be asked: "Do they care?" From jpost.com TRUMP: I WANT TO GIVE PEACE A SHOT BEFORE I EVEN THINK OF MOVING EMBASSY US President Donald Trump breaks the silence on the disputed issue of the American embassy's relocation (or its lack thereof). WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that he wanted to give a shot at achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians before moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In June, Trump signed a temporary order to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv, despite a campaign promise he made to move it to Jerusalem. "I want to give that a shot before I even think about moving the embassy to Jerusalem," he said. "If we can make peace between the Palestinians and Israel, I think it'll lead to ultimately peace in the Middle East, which has to happen," he said. Asked if there was a time frame for the embassy move, Trump said: "We're going to make a decision in the not too distant future. "Hours before going on air, Trump took to Twitter to promote the show and his appearance on it, inviting his followers to watch him make an appearance on Huckabee's show as his very first guest. The fact that Huckabee managed to snag such an important guest for the first episode of his show was criticized by many, seeing as the former governor's daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, currently serves as White House Press Secretary. Many in Israel were looking forward for the president to make good on his campaign pledge and move the embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital, but were disappointed to discover that Trump was backtracking on his promise as the first months of his presidency and his key Israel visit both went by without significant progress towards a move. Trump's decision to halt the embassy relocation was perceived as a stinging blow, despite the fact that he has sent officials from his administration with increasing frequency in recent months to attempt to accelerate the stagnant peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Both Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law who serves as a shadow diplomat in the White House in charge of US-led peace efforts, and US Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt have visited the region numerous times in the past six months to negotiate with government officials in Israel as well as Palestinian Authority representatives. So there you have it. Was the pledge to move our embassy to Jerusalem just another "broken" campaign promise? Was it said to secure some of the Jewish vote? We don't know the answers to this, but for Trump to even dream about peace between Israel and her mortal enemy is naive at best. Shalom b'Yeshua MARANATHA! [email protected] Daily Jot: FBI Russia investigation points to Clinton - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com In March, the Daily Jot reported that when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State she completed a deal where nuclear grade uranium was sent to Russia scoring $145 million to the Clinton Foundation, Bill Clinton received $500,000 for a speech in Moscow, Clinton's campaign Chairman John Podesta did a $35 million energy deal with Russia, and the Clinton Foundation received $2.35 million in donations from Ian Telfer, head of Russia's uranium company. Now the FBI is releasing information that indicates both the Clinton's and the immediate past "president" were involved in what appears to be a bribery/kickback scheme with Russian officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. A lengthy story by John Solomon and Alison Spann of The Hill documents that federal agents "obtained an eyewitness account-backed by documents-indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the US designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton's charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow." That government body would be the Committee on Foreign Investment and Hillary Clinton brokered a deal where Russia gained control of more than 20 percent of America's uranium supply. Nonetheless, the news media, despite documented facts, continued to push the narrative that President Donald Trump was in league with the Russians to influence the US election. One of The Hill's sources says: "The Russians were compromising American contractors in the nuclear industry with kickbacks and extortion threats, all of which raised legitimate national security concerns. And none of that evidence got aired before the [sic ex-"president's"] administration made those decisions." Attorney General Eric Holder also was part of the committee that brokered the uranium deal. The Russian chicanery was blamed on then candidate and now President, Donald Trump. A willing news media hardly reported on the uranium deal and all the money that went to the Clintons and their foundation, but pounded Americans with Russian election interference news. If you look at who had pre-election deals with Russia, Hillary Clinton and the ex-"president" would be poster children. Hundreds of millions of dollars exchanged hands between Russia and the Clinton Foundation when Clinton was Secretary of State in the ex-"president's" administration, and these deals were supported by the ex-"president." The more they pushed Russian ties with Trump, the more deals they did with Russia themselves. This is an ongoing effort to conduct a bait and switch on the American people. As said in 2 Timothy 3:13, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." This is some of the worst deception of this generation. Daily Devotion: His Strength in Your Weakness - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12:9 I didn't have an easy childhood. I came from a home that was broken many, many times over. But I can look back on my past today and instead of moaning about it, I can say, "I went through that, and now I can comfort others." It has become a tool to help others. I wouldn't want to go through that again, of course. Nor would I want anyone else to go through the same thing. But I'm thankful that God can take my past and use it for His glory today. I'm thankful that He can take that hardship and use it for His glory. He can do the same for you. Maybe at this time in your life, you're going through some hard times, and you're wondering why. God will use it. It's hard to believe now. But just remember that it won't last forever. As 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Trials don't last forever. I'm reminded of a sign posted at the end of an airport runway that reads, "Keep moving. If you stop, you are in danger and a danger to those who are flying." You can take that same statement and apply it to the Christian life. Keep moving. Don't give up. Don't abandon hope. You are going to get through that valley in your life. There will be an even greater mountaintop beyond it, with great lessons you have learned as God demonstrated His strength in your weakness. 
FROM THE HEART
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